Chapter Summary: “Curse Demons”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reflects on the value of Ginseng Fruits. Although he does not need them for longevity because of the Innate Gods-and-Devils Forging Method, the fruits could still greatly improve his cultivation and potentially help him comprehend the Dao Resonance of his Acquired Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• His tree has begun forming a flower bud after absorbing energy from an eighth-rank Spirit Spring Pearl, but it likely requires far more energy and over a thousand years to mature. Liu Yuanchen considers using the Heaven-and-Earth Rejuvenation Divine Ability to accelerate its growth, though he has not yet mastered the laws behind the technique.
• His immediate concern is the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow, which contains valuable Innate Primordial Qi but may also conceal a curse. Rather than risk absorbing it directly or merging it into his Earth Book, Liu Yuanchen decides to investigate the danger first.
• He visits his Second Martial Uncle, Ling Yu, who has researched curses by examining the corpses of cultivators who died from them. For five million Spirit Stones, Ling Yu agrees to test the jade marrow.
• Ling Yu uses a qilin phantom to probe the jade marrow. The phantom is destroyed by black curse energy hidden inside, confirming that the Great Xia Divine Dynasty intentionally gave Liu Yuanchen a dangerous treasure.
• Liu Yuanchen traps the residual curse energy inside his Misty Space Minor Divine Ability. However, the energy forms a horned beast head and breaks through the spatial prison before returning to the jade marrow.
• Ling Yu identifies the entity as a remnant of a Curse Demon’s power. He explains that Curse Demons were an ancient and powerful Demon Race whose innate ability was to cast curses through the inscription-filled horns on their heads.
• The Curse Demon Race was eventually driven to extinction because casting powerful curses caused severe backlash. Their decline was worsened by suppression from the Human Race, the Divine Court, and anti-curse techniques.
• Liu Yuanchen decides not to use the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow until he becomes strong enough to withstand or neutralize the curse. Ling Yu reassures him that An Changsheng, with Ling Yu’s assistance, may be able to suppress it. For now, the jade marrow should be sealed with yang-attributed energy.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates caution and strategic judgment. Although tempted by the jade marrow’s immense value, he refuses to use it recklessly after recognizing the possible danger of curses.
• He also shows growing awareness of his own limitations. His Poison-Resistant Physique, Witch Race inheritance, and ability to refine demonic qi do not give him confidence against an unfamiliar and sinister curse.
• Ling Yu is revealed to be an unconventional, obsessive scholar. Despite his refined appearance, he has investigated curses by excavating and examining the corpses of dead cultivators, disregarding conventional ethics in pursuit of knowledge.
• Ling Yu’s interest in research is paired with a strong demand for compensation, but he genuinely assists Liu Yuanchen once paid.
• The chapter expands Liu Yuanchen’s understanding of the wider world by introducing the nearly forgotten Curse Demon Race and the terrifying power of their curse techniques.

Significant Themes

• Power versus caution: Valuable treasures can conceal deadly dangers, and strength alone is not enough to overcome unknown forces.
• The hidden costs of power: Curse Demons gained strength through successful curses, but the backlash eventually destroyed their race.
• Knowledge as protection: Liu Yuanchen seeks investigation rather than relying on confidence or brute force. Ling Yu’s research provides crucial information about the jade marrow.
• Ancient races and forgotten history: The Curse Demons’ extinction reveals how much of the Primordial World’s history and supernatural knowledge has been lost.
• Growth and patience: Liu Yuanchen must delay using both the Ginseng Fruit Tree and Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow until he has the cultivation and techniques necessary to benefit from them safely.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen approaches Ling Yu respectfully as his Second Martial Uncle, asking for help rather than acting independently.
• Ling Yu initially warns that his methods may not work, then jokingly demands payment through the metaphor of “cooking without rice.” Liu Yuanchen immediately provides the requested five million Spirit Stones.
• During the examination, Ling Yu’s qilin phantom fails to suppress the curse, while Liu Yuanchen’s Misty Space successfully contains it temporarily. Their abilities complement each other, though neither can fully resolve the danger alone.
• Ling Yu explains the Curse Demon’s history and advises Liu Yuanchen to seek help from An Changsheng, establishing a likely future cooperation between the three cultivators.

Earth Book Advancement — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen questions whether An Changsheng, only a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, can remove the curse inside the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow—especially since even Ling Yu’s Second Martial Uncle, a peak Divine Spring Realm expert, could not resolve it.
• Ling Yu explains that An Changsheng’s ancestor once suppressed the Curse Demon Race in the Northern Frontier and was instrumental in helping the Divine Court develop methods to counter curses. Because of this ancestral connection, An Changsheng may possess the means to deal with the curse despite his current cultivation.
• Liu Yuanchen cannot locate An Changsheng, who has been missing for years while hunting an Ice Flood Dragon in the Northern Frontier. He therefore stores the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow and Ghost Abyss Jade Ginseng in the Nether Sun Grotto-Heaven, relying on its powerful Yang energy to suppress the curse.
• Liu Yuanchen asks Ling Yu to construct a formation that will help him condense the Seven Po Souls. Ling Yu proposes the costly Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation, requiring at least 300 million Spirit Stones, later bargaining down to 150 million.
• The formation will be placed in the Netherworld, both for Liu Yuanchen’s cultivation and to reduce the risk of Divine Court surveillance.
• Liu Yuanchen begins preparing for secluded cultivation. He already possesses four of the seven spiritual medicines needed to stimulate the Seven Po Souls, but the process will be slow and taxing, potentially taking one or two centuries.
• The Dongyang Blessed Land continues developing. The Spirit Spring Pearl greatly strengthens its Main Spirit Vein, raising it from low-grade fifth rank to low-grade sixth rank. Meanwhile, the Innate Primordial Yellow Stone rapidly expands the Blessed Land’s sky.
• The Blessed Land is expected to become a Grotto-Heaven within roughly ten years, provided its spatial barrier becomes strong enough to support a sun, moon, and stars.
• The Earth Book undergoes major advancement after absorbing energy from Origin Spirit Realm Blackgold Stone and the Spirit Spring Pearl’s residual power.
• The Coiled Dragon Mountain Spirit Vein Mark becomes a True Imprint, binding the Yin-Yang Realm spirit veins to the Earth Book and allowing them to advance alongside it.
• The Main Spirit Vein Mark of the Dongyang Blessed Land and the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein Mark also become much more substantial. The latter is approaching True Imprint status, bringing Liu Yuanchen closer to completing the Earth Book of the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Liu Yuanchen discovers that the Earth Book can transmit energy from the Ink-Yang Mountain Spirit Vein and the Crimson Earth Vein in Myriad Demons Blessed Land, even across enormous distances and between separate spaces. He suspects the Earth Book may have overcome its former distance limitations.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates greater wealth, caution, and strategic planning. He avoids rushing to resolve the curse and instead secures the dangerous treasures in a protected grotto-heaven.
• He also shows confidence in his cultivation path, willingly paying a large sum for the Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation rather than relying on dangerous or time-consuming mortal-world experiences.
• Ling Yu reveals his expertise in formations and his knowledge of the Curse Demon Race and Divine Court history. He also humorously attempts to overcharge Liu Yuanchen, first asking for 300 million Spirit Stones before negotiating down to 150 million.
• The interaction between Liu Yuanchen and Ling Yu reflects a familiar martial-uncle and nephew relationship: Ling Yu is supportive, but also takes advantage of Liu Yuanchen’s considerable wealth.
• An Changsheng, though absent, becomes more significant. His family’s ancestral achievements against the Curse Demon Race suggest that his importance extends beyond his personal cultivation and reputation-seeking personality.

Significant Themes

• Inherited power and ancestral legacy: An Changsheng’s potential ability to counter the curse comes not from his current realm but from his ancestor’s accomplishments and the techniques passed down through the Divine Court.
• Cultivation through preparation and resources: Liu Yuanchen’s progress depends on spiritual medicines, formations, treasures, spirit veins, and enormous financial resources rather than cultivation alone.
• The gradual transformation of personal treasures: The Dongyang Blessed Land and Earth Book are steadily evolving into higher-level artifacts and domains, mirroring Liu Yuanchen’s own advancement.
• Connection and control over the world’s spiritual geography: The Earth Book’s ability to absorb energy from distant spirit veins suggests Liu Yuanchen is gaining broader influence over the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Trade-offs and lost potential: Liu Yuanchen reflects with frustration that the Ginseng Fruit Tree consumed half the Spirit Spring Pearl’s energy, preventing even greater advancement for the Blessed Land and Earth Book.
• Expansion beyond physical distance: The newly discovered energy transmission suggests that the Earth Book may eventually transcend ordinary spatial limitations, greatly increasing its strategic value.

Overall Development

The chapter focuses less on immediate conflict and more on long-term advancement. Liu Yuanchen secures a possible solution to the Dragon Abyss curse, commissions a powerful cultivation formation, strengthens the Dongyang Blessed Land, and brings the Earth Book closer to becoming a realm-spanning artifact.

Chapter Summary: New Function of the Earth Book: Mountains and Rivers Guard the Master

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen investigates the Earth Book’s ability to draw spiritual energy from distant Spirit Veins and Earth Veins after it absorbs Blackgold Stone from the Origin Spirit Realm.
• He confirms that the Earth Book’s range has expanded dramatically, allowing it to draw energy from the Ink-Yang Mountain Spirit Vein despite being hundreds of thousands of li away. However, distance still reduces the amount of energy obtained to roughly thirty percent of its original strength.
• Liu Yuanchen concludes that the Earth Book has not yet completely overcome the limitation of distance. He believes it may eventually do so once it acquires the True Imprint of the Origin Spirit Realm’s Ancestral Vein.
• The Earth Book’s backing has also changed. Rather than relying mainly on the Dongyang Blessed Land, it is now connected to the entire Origin Spirit Realm, giving it potential beyond that of ordinary Acquired Spirit Treasures and possibly even Innate Spirit Treasures in the future.
• To test its improved defensive power, Liu Yuanchen seeks out his Fifth Martial Uncle, Yi Jiuding, who is easily bribed with fine wine.
• In the training room, Yi Jiuding attacks Liu Yuanchen’s Earth Book barrier with increasingly powerful fire techniques:
  • A fireball that could severely injure a late Soul Condensation Realm cultivator has no effect.
  • Three flaming arrows shake the barrier but are blocked by manifested images of Coiled Dragon Mountain and the Luochuan River.
  • Yi Jiuding’s strongest fire-dragon attack forces the Luochuan River phantom to dissipate and eventually shatters the Coiled Dragon Mountain phantom, but the attack is exhausted before reaching Liu Yuanchen.
• The test reveals a new Earth Book function: it can mobilize the imprints of mountains, rivers, Spirit Veins, and Earth Veins throughout the Earth Book to form an active defense. These manifestations can directly protect Liu Yuanchen rather than merely maintaining a passive barrier.
• Liu Yuanchen then tests his offensive power by using the Youth Edition Nine Heaven-Cleaving Forms. His Mountain-Cleaving Axe forces Yi Jiuding back three steps, proving that Liu Yuanchen’s attack power has also reached an extraordinary level.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Gains a much clearer understanding of the Earth Book’s current limits and potential. His defensive strength is shown to have surpassed that of ordinary fifth-rank magical artifacts, allowing him to withstand attacks at or above the Divine Spring Realm. His confidence increases as he realizes he can defend himself against much stronger opponents. His offensive technique also proves powerful enough to threaten cultivators below the sixth realm.
• Yi Jiuding: Initially treats the test casually and agrees mainly because of his love of Dragon Abyss Jade Nectar. After seeing Liu Yuanchen’s defenses, he becomes shocked and increasingly serious. He recognizes that Liu Yuanchen’s strength is far beyond what should be possible for someone who has only recently entered the Soul Condensation Realm.
• Sun Baicao: Appears briefly as Yi Jiuding’s usual unwilling food tester. His exasperation emphasizes Yi Jiuding’s reckless cooking habits and establishes the humorous relationship among the senior disciples.
• The Earth Book: Develops from a powerful defensive artifact into a broader manifestation of the Origin Spirit Realm’s mountains and rivers. Its connection to the realm becomes more active and responsive, allowing it to summon geographical phantoms as guardians.

3. Significant Themes

• Growth through integration: The Blackgold Stone does not merely strengthen the Earth Book’s existing abilities; it deepens its connection to the entire Origin Spirit Realm and unlocks new functions.
• Potential versus current cultivation: The Earth Book possesses immense theoretical potential, possibly exceeding even Innate Spirit Treasures, but its fifth-rank level prevents it from fully expressing that power. This parallels Liu Yuanchen’s own situation: his realm is relatively low, but his tools and techniques allow him to challenge far stronger cultivators.
• The power of land and spiritual authority: Mountains, rivers, Spirit Veins, and Earth Veins are not passive sources of energy. Through the Earth Book, they become active protectors capable of defending their master.
• Testing and discovery: Liu Yuanchen learns about his own strength through controlled experimentation rather than assumption. The battle with Yi Jiuding functions both as a test and as a discovery of the Earth Book’s new defensive mechanics.
• Humor amid cultivation: Yi Jiuding’s obsession with food and wine, his attempts to force others to taste his terrible dishes, and Liu Yuanchen’s use of fine wine as payment provide comic relief amid the chapter’s major revelations.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen visits Sun Baicao’s courtyard, where Yi Jiuding is once again pressuring Sun Baicao to taste an unpleasant medicinal soup. When Liu Yuanchen arrives, Yi Jiuding immediately makes him the new target.
• Liu Yuanchen avoids drinking the soup and instead tempts Yi Jiuding with Dragon Abyss Jade Nectar. Yi Jiuding quickly agrees to help in exchange for wine.
• During the training session, Yi Jiuding begins as a skeptical senior and tests Liu Yuanchen with progressively stronger attacks. His surprise grows as every attack fails to break through the Earth Book’s defenses.
• The manifested Coiled Dragon Mountain and Luochuan River become central to the exchange, visibly defending Liu Yuanchen and demonstrating the Earth Book’s new bond with the realm.
• After the defensive test, Liu Yuanchen turns the tables by attacking Yi Jiuding with the Mountain-Cleaving Axe. Yi Jiuding is forced backward and openly praises the technique, acknowledging that his junior nephew’s power is already comparable to that of much higher-realm cultivators.

Summary: Heart-Refining Illusory Realm

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• In the aftermath of a sparring match, Yi Jiuding expresses shock at Liu Yuanchen's combat prowess—his spell and natal magic treasure can threaten early Divine Spring Realm cultivators despite his early Soul Condensation Realm cultivation.
• Liu Yuanchen explains his powerful spell came from a vision of the Witch Progenitor's phantom, and notes that copies of his technique would be weaker for others.
• Liu Yuanchen pays Yi Jiuding with roughly a jin of Dragon Abyss Jade Nectar, which the martial uncle savors drop by drop.
• Liu Yuanchen reflects on his limitations: his defense relies entirely on the Earth Book, and he can only unleash one strike with the Sea-Calming Pearl before exhausting his strength. He identifies two paths to growth: raising his cultivation and enhancing the Earth Book.
• A two-year time skip occurs. Liu Yuanchen's avatar in Dongyang Blessed Land successfully cultivates the Azure Water Fire Lotus and Five-Element Pine.
• Ling Yu summons Liu Yuanchen to reveal the completed Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation—a massive setup with seven stone pillars, each corresponding to a Po Soul, designed to induce emotion-based illusory realms for condensing the Seven Po Souls.
• Liu Yuanchen chooses to condense the Corpse Hound Soul first (governing vigilance and danger detection) and enters the formation using a Smile-Face Fruit.
• The chapter ends with Liu Yuanchen falling into an illusion where he is reborn as an ordinary mortal scholar named Liu Yuanchen from Liu Family Bay, with his cultivation memories erased.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates strategic self-awareness, acknowledging his reliance on external treasures and his vulnerability to stronger foes. He prioritizes safety (Corpse Hound Soul) over physical enhancement (Queyin Soul), showing a methodical, cautious approach to advancement.
• Yi Jiuding: Shows a humble, appreciative side, savoring the long-awaited wine, and acknowledges Liu Yuanchen's growth with respect.
• Ling Yu: Completes a complex formation on time despite physical ailments, demonstrating craftsmanship and reliability. Notes the formation automatically stops after one day to protect the Life Soul.

3. Significant Themes

• Growth through external means vs. personal cultivation: The chapter contrasts reliance on treasures (Earth Book, Sea-Calming Pearl) with internal development (condensing Po Souls, strengthening the Life Soul).
• Strategic self-assessment: Liu Yuanchen carefully evaluates his combat weaknesses and devises a two-pronged improvement plan.
• The importance of illusions and perception: The Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation and Liu Yuanchen's derived spell both emphasize the power of metaphysical visions and altered states of consciousness.
• Sacrifice and resource management: The meticulous cultivation of rare spirit plants and careful use of valuable resources (wine, formation tokens) underline the costly nature of cultivation.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and Yi Jiuding: A respectful, transactional relationship. They exchange insights on combat techniques, and Liu Yuanchen pays the agreed-upon payment. Yi Jiuding leaves in a tipsy, satisfied state.
• Liu Yuanchen and Ling Yu: Professional and cooperative. Ling Yu delivers the finished formation, explains its usage, and departs, offering to be contacted if needed. Liu Yuanchen immediately tests it, showing trust in his martial uncle's work.
• Perspectives on the Queyin Soul: Liu Yuanchen dismisses it, using Xia Longting as a counterexample, indicating familiarity with his peers and a dry wit.

Summary of "Corpse Hound Soul" Chapter

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Secular Success: Liu Yuanchen, previously top scholar, passes the provincial examination and becomes Provincial Graduate Champion. His hometown celebrates with ancestral rites—a milestone for the village.
• Illusion Cultivation: In his cultivation chamber, Liu Yuanchen uses the Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation and Smile-Face Fruit to enter illusions of great joy—rising to chief minister, becoming a Longevity Immortal, slaying Demon Emperors, and forcing the Witch Race to submit.
• Corpse Hound Soul Condensation: Over five years, he accumulates enough joy-stimulated Corpse Hound Soul energy. Using the Soul-Congealing Art, Smile-Face Fruit, and Innate Primordial Qi from the Earth Book, he successfully condenses the Corpse Hound Soul—his first po soul—into a red-robed figure identical to himself.
• Danger Forewarning: After leaving seclusion, he feels a sudden heart-pounding omen—the Corpse Hound Soul's warning ability. He traces it to Yin Mountain General Store in Coiled Dragon City.
• Surveillance & Discovery: Unable to find clues himself, he orders his spirit-plant avatar Liu Yan to monitor the shop. Liu Yan later reports a mysterious Wood Spirit (at least Divine Ability Realm) emerging from beneath the store, ordering the shopkeeper to watch the Eight Desolations Pavilion disciples, especially Ling Yu.
• Suspicion: Liu Yuanchen deduces the Wood Spirit likely belongs to the Heaven-Restoration Sect, since the Witch Race wouldn't cultivate such beings and a Demon Race spy here seems unlikely.

2. Character Developments

Liu Yuanchen

• Advances to condensing his first po soul (Corpse Hound Soul), strengthening his divine sense and gaining a danger-warning instinct.
• Becomes more cautious and strategic—staying hidden after sensing a threat and delegating intelligence work to avatars.
• Shows long-term planning: plants the Ghost Abyss Jade Ginseng rather than consuming it, and continues expanding Dongyang Blessed Land's sky toward grotto-heaven status.

Liu Yan

• Remains a loyal avatar/spy, monitoring targets and reporting faithfully to Liu Yuanchen.

3. Significant Themes

• Emotion as Cultivation Resource: Joy is harvested intentionally to fuel soul refinement—highlighting the use of psychological states in power progression.
• Illusion vs. Reality: The illusions feel utterly real; half a year passes mentally in a single day, blurring the line between achievement and fabrication.
• Paranoia & Hidden Threats: Even in a stronghold, unseen enemies plot; the protagonist must rely on intuition and espionage to survive.
• Factional Intrigue: The Heaven-Restoration Sect's covert operations and cross-species agents reveal a complex political landscape.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen & Liu Yan: Master-servant/avatar relationship; Liu Yan reports suspicious activity at Yin Mountain General Store.
• Liu Yuanchen & the Illusory World: He experiences multiple alternate lives—being a scholar, a chief minister, a supreme immortal—each shaping his mentality.
• The Wood Spirit & Storekeeper: The spirit issues orders in the secret language of plants, instructing surveillance of Ling Yu and Eight Desolations Pavilion disciples.
• Off-screen factions: The store's owners and the Heaven-Restoration Sect are implied to be monitoring Liu Yuanchen's circle, though their exact goal remains unclear.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Liu Yuanchen identifies Lord Liu as likely connected to the mysterious Heaven-Restoration Sect. Though he fears the sect may be targeting him, he decides not to attack Lord Liu, since provoking the sect could endanger his broader plans. He orders Liu Yan to keep watching the Yin Mountain General Store without revealing that they are being observed.
• Liu reasons that the sect may be watching Second Martial Uncle Ling Yu, a skilled formation master, or may have marked Liu himself for capture after his success at the Demon Cloud Sea Sealing Grounds. Concerned that the sect might know about his avatar technique and unusual treasures, he warns Ling Yu and resolves to strengthen himself.
• To improve the Earth Book, Liu places it in a Spirit Nexus beneath Blackcloud Ridge, hoping to merge the Netherworld spirit-vein mark with its Yang-Realm counterpart and advance it into a True Imprint.
• While cultivating in Dongyang Blessed Land, he checks on his Spirit Roots. The Five-Element Pine says it is nearing a major transformation, likely becoming an Acquired Spirit Root. The Ginseng Fruit Tree and Hundred-Year Flat Peach remain difficult to study directly.
• Liu discovers that eating a Hundred-Year Flat Peach lets him sense its incomplete Dao Resonance. He uses the fruit to deepen his understanding of Life and Ren Water laws, while also making substantial progress in the Space Law. His grasp of Ren Water allows him to cast water techniques without water-aspected spiritual power and should improve his use of the Sea-Calming Pearl.
• After three years, Dongyang Blessed Land completes its advancement into Dongyang Grotto-Heaven. It begins displaying a sun and azure sky, and receives energy derived from chaos qi. The transformation greatly increases the amount and quality of dharma power it returns to Liu.
• Liu tests the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp and sustains it for more than a hundred breaths—far longer than before—while producing a stronger, longer-reaching beam.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Yuanchen grows more wary of the Heaven-Restoration Sect but responds with caution rather than impulsive violence. He prioritizes warning allies, improving his strength, and developing his Grotto-Heaven.
• Ling Yu, Liu’s Second Martial Uncle, is alerted that someone may be plotting against him and is urged to stay vigilant.
• The Five-Element Pine communicates with Liu through his Plant Sight and Hearing authority. Its slow growth is revealed to be part of an imminent transformation, which Liu supports by supplying spiritual power.
• Liu and his Spirit Roots show a more attentive, nurturing relationship: he checks their progress and promises to help meet the Five-Element Pine’s needs.

Significant themes

• Caution amid hidden threats: The Heaven-Restoration Sect’s secrecy makes it dangerous to confront, forcing Liu to weigh power, alliances, and risk.
• Strength through patient cultivation: Liu improves himself through spirit-vein refinement, law comprehension, and nurturing Spirit Roots rather than relying only on immediate breakthroughs.
• Interdependence between cultivator and domain: Dongyang’s evolution into a Grotto-Heaven strengthens Liu’s dharma power, while his cultivation and care support the realm and its Spirit Roots.
• Knowledge through experience: Liu discovers that Spirit Root fruits can reveal Dao Resonance, opening a new path to understanding laws.
• Transformation and potential: The Five-Element Pine’s slow development and the Blessed Land’s evolution both suggest that gradual growth can conceal major changes.

Chapter Summary: Half an Ancestral Vein Imprint—Leaving an Imprint from Afar

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reassesses his strength after his recent advancement. His mastery of the Sea-Calming Pearl and Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp has improved significantly, allowing him to use the pearl’s former killing power more than ten times and potentially unleash an even stronger full-force attack.
• Dongyang Blessed Land evolves into Dongyang Grotto-Heaven, rapidly expanding in size. Its growth creates a severe shortage of workers to cultivate and manage the newly formed land.
• Liu Yuanchen considers populating the Grotto-Heavens with members of his clan. Their safety and guaranteed harvests would allow them to farm independently while supplying him with resources.
• Under the newly established Solar Law, the spirit plants flourish. Xiao Yu, who has never seen the sun, learns about the sun, moon, and stars and their importance to plant cultivation.
• Xiao Yu reveals that the Ghost Lingzhi, called “Little Black,” is suffering from the increased yang energy. Liu Yuanchen protects it with a stone shelter and notes that it is gradually developing the potential to gain sentience.
• Liu Yuanchen discovers that Dongyang Grotto-Heaven’s Main Spirit Vein has accumulated Innate Primordial Qi, but much of its origin energy is being siphoned away by the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Using the Qi-Locking Seal, Liu Yuanchen reduces the energy loss from roughly half to only ten percent, greatly improving the Grotto-Heaven’s future growth.
• He uses the Earth Book Imprinting Technique to implant the Coiled Dragon Mountain Earth Vein into Dongyang Grotto-Heaven. The new Earth Vein dramatically increases the Grotto-Heaven’s production of Innate Primordial Qi—from roughly one strand every ten years to about two strands per year.
• The Earth Book’s Spirit Vein imprint of the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein has become a True Imprint, meaning the Earth Book now possesses half of an Ancestral Vein.
• After returning to Coiled Dragon Mountain, Liu Yuanchen notices two mysterious new Spirit Vein imprints on the Earth Book. They correspond to the Blazing Sun Valley Spirit Vein and Dongyang Lake Spirit Vein, despite his not having visited either location.
• After observing the imprints for a year, he determines that the Earth Book can mark nearby Spirit Veins remotely. It can detect Spirit Veins within roughly five hundred li, then continue drawing their spiritual energy even from extremely far away.
• The ability works only on Spirit Veins, not Earth Veins, but Liu Yuanchen realizes its long-term potential: after traveling throughout the realm, he could accumulate marks of countless Spirit Veins and greatly increase the Earth Book’s power.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes increasingly powerful and capable of managing both combat treasures and large-scale spatial domains. His understanding of Space Law and Ren Water Law advances.
• He shifts from merely surviving and cultivating to planning long-term infrastructure: developing Grotto-Heavens, recruiting clan members, and increasing resource production.
• His connection to the Earth Book deepens. He discovers new abilities and begins envisioning how it may eventually evolve from possessing half an Ancestral Vein to possessing a complete one.
• Xiao Yu continues to mature intellectually and spiritually. He is eager to cultivate, emulate Liu Yan, and eventually help Liu Yuanchen. His abilities remain more suited to cultivation, earth manipulation, and ambushes than direct combat.
• Ghost Lingzhi shows early signs of developing sentience, suggesting it may eventually become a powerful yin-absorbing spirit being with strong reproductive and soul-related abilities.

Significant Themes

• Growth and transformation: The evolution from Blessed Land to Grotto-Heaven marks Liu Yuanchen’s expanding power and ambitions.
• Resource management and world-building: Cultivation is portrayed not only as personal advancement but also as the creation and administration of entire environments.
• Balance between yin and yang: The Ghost Lingzhi’s distress illustrates the consequences of Dongyang Grotto-Heaven’s increasing yang energy and the need to preserve ecological balance.
• Accumulation and patience: Liu Yuanchen relies on gradual cultivation, long-term planning, and the slow strengthening of Spirit Vein imprints rather than immediate results.
• Potential of inherited power: The Earth Book’s half-Ancestral-Vein status hints at immense future possibilities and emphasizes the importance of foundational treasures.
• Control versus dependence: Liu Yuanchen seeks to retain more of his Grotto-Heaven’s origin energy, resisting the Origin Spirit Realm’s extraction while recognizing that some connection to the greater world is necessary.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen patiently teaches Xiao Yu about the sun, moon, stars, and plant cultivation, reinforcing their affectionate father-son relationship.
• Xiao Yu acts as an intermediary between Liu Yuanchen and Ghost Lingzhi by reporting its discomfort.
• Liu Yuanchen responds protectively, sheltering Ghost Lingzhi while choosing not to forcefully enlighten it, allowing it to develop naturally.
• The chapter also reflects Liu Yuanchen’s broader relationship with the beings and resources under his care: he acts as cultivator, protector, landlord, and creator of a growing internal world.

Summary of Chapter

1. Key Plot Points

• Liu Yuanchen uses the Earth Book's ability to imprint Spirit Vein Marks across space. He plants faint marks on all Spirit Veins within 2,000 li of Netherworld Coiled Dragon Mountain, then returns to the Yang Realm to do the same there.
• After arriving, his Corpse Hound Soul warns him of imminent danger. He detects three suspicious locations in Coiling Dragon Lake Market, including the Floating Cloud Inn, where hidden experts (possibly Demon Race) are lying in ambush.
• He reports to his grand martial ancestor and Mountain-Moving Venerable, who identify formations hiding the ambushers. They plan to study the formations before taking action.
• Thunder Sword Venerable of Thousand Mechanism City arrives, bringing a pristine Gonggong Ancestor Witch Statue. He proposes cooperation to decipher the Witch Race Inheritance.
• Liu Yuanchen receives the Gonggong inheritance, gaining two divine abilities: Misty Waves for Ten Thousand Miles (a domain that converts spiritual energy to water and causes flooding) and Ten Thousand Waters Return to the Source (devours divine waters, allows body-water melding, and regeneration).
• He records the inheritance's word-based contents into a beast-hide book for shared study.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates prudence by seeking help instead of confronting hidden enemies. He prioritizes wood-element growth (Ginseng Fruit Tree) and treats water abilities as auxiliary. His Corpse Hound Soul proves unusually sensitive to malice.
• Thunder Sword Venerable: Pragmatic and decisive—willing to share a precious artifact rather than hoard it, showing a cooperative mindset.
• Eight Desolations Pavilion elders: Actively investigate threats, welcome cooperation, and leverage their existing deciphering success to attract partners.

3. Significant Themes

• Inheritance and Ambition: Powerful inheritances (Luochuan Dragon King, Witch Race) make one a target, but also attract alliances.
• Cooperation vs. Secrecy: Rival factions hoard Ancestral Shaman Statues; Thousand Mechanism City chooses open collaboration, highlighting wisdom in shared progress.
• Elemental Balance: Wood remains Liu Yuanchen's core path; water abilities are complementary, reinforcing the novel's focus on elemental interactions and personal cultivation strategy.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen ↔ Grand Martial Ancestor / Mountain-Moving Venerable: Reports danger, trusts their expertise in formations and spatial concealment.
• Azure Origin Pill King ↔ Thunder Sword Venerable: Negotiate cooperation; exchange of the Gonggong statue for access to the Zhurong inheritance records. Venerable Ten Thousand Mountains is prepared to discuss artifact refinement.
• Liu Yuanchen ↔ Gonggong Ancestor Witch Phantom: Receives the inheritance without intimidation, successfully absorbing the condensed seed of knowledge.

Chapter Summary: “Farming Merit in the Ancestral Earth Vein”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Venerable Sea Severing studies the Gonggong Ancestor Witch inheritance and becomes absorbed in its contents. He is disappointed that the beast-hide book does not explicitly describe any divine abilities, but Azure Origin Pill King explains that inherited abilities can only be obtained through the inheritance itself.
• Liu Yuanchen reveals the inheritance’s two divine abilities: Misty Waves for Ten Thousand Miles and Ten Thousand Waters Return to the Source. Venerable Sea Severing regrets that he cannot obtain them, but ultimately decides not to risk cultivating the inheritance from the beginning because of his limited lifespan and the danger of damaging his Immortal Seed.
• Concerned about the dangerous forces operating around Coiled Dragon Mountain, Liu Yuanchen returns to the Netherworld instead of continuing to explore the Yang Realm.
• Seeking to complete the Earth Book’s imprint of the Blackcloud Ridge Ancestral Vein, Liu Yuanchen travels underground and begins repairing its damaged earth vein. He reconnects broken sections and clears obstructing rocks, reducing the leakage of Earth Vein Baleful Intent that caused the Black Mist over Blackcloud Ridge.
• His repairs generate large amounts of Earthly Dao Merit, confirming that restoring damaged earth veins is an effective way to accumulate merit.
• Liu Yuanchen realizes that the Earth Book can absorb the Earth Vein Baleful Intent while protecting him from its corrosive effects. This energy is transferred into Dongyang Grotto-Heaven, where the Ginseng Fruit Tree neutralizes and absorbs it.
• Over the course of a year, he travels tens of thousands of miles through the earth vein, repairs numerous breaks, and accumulates enough merit to condense a second Merit Lightwheel. The repaired earth vein also begins returning merit continuously.
• He discovers a huge, dragon-shaped Spirit Vein Source embedded in the earth beneath Blackcloud Ridge. Unlike the small sources he has seen before, this one is a thousand zhang in diameter but is badly cracked and close to collapse.
• Liu Yuanchen repairs the Spirit Vein Source with his Gathering Qi into Stone Authority. The repair increases the source’s ability to absorb Earth Vein Baleful Intent and improves the spiritual energy output of the entire Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein.
• The repair produces an especially large amount of merit, allowing Liu Yuanchen to condense a third Merit Lightwheel. He begins imagining eventually forming a Nine-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus and refining a powerful Merit Spirit Treasure.
• However, he recognizes that repairing the Ancestral Vein too frequently or too dramatically could attract the attention of powerful figures in the Netherworld and Yang Realm. He decides that this merit-farming method must be used sparingly.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes increasingly focused on merit accumulation, Earth Book development, and the long-term restoration of the Origin Spirit Realm. He shifts from simply seeking resources, such as a Spirit Eye, to recognizing the Ancestral Veins as a vast and renewable source of merit.
• He also demonstrates greater strategic caution. Although he discovers an extremely profitable method of gaining merit, he understands that rapid changes to a major Spirit Vein could expose him to dangerous enemies.
• Venerable Sea Severing shows confidence in his combat ability and recognizes that the Gonggong inheritance could greatly strengthen him. Nevertheless, he chooses practicality over ambition, abandoning the inheritance because of his limited lifespan and the risks of rebuilding his cultivation foundation.
• Azure Origin Pill King acts as a knowledgeable and teasing adviser, reminding Venerable Sea Severing of the dangers involved in pursuing inherited divine abilities.

Significant Themes

• Merit through restoration: Repairing damaged natural structures benefits the world and produces substantial Dao Merit. Liu Yuanchen discovers that restoring earth veins and Spirit Vein Sources offers both immediate rewards and lasting benefits.
• Long-term investment: Restoring the Ancestral Veins could improve spiritual energy, sustain countless living beings, and even help the Origin Spirit Realm continue growing. The rewards extend far beyond Liu Yuanchen’s immediate gains.
• Power versus caution: Venerable Sea Severing rejects a tempting inheritance because of the risks and his limited lifespan. Similarly, Liu Yuanchen realizes that accumulating merit too quickly may endanger him.
• The fragility of the world’s foundations: The damaged Ancestral Earth Vein and cracked Spirit Vein Source reveal how past battles have weakened the realm’s natural infrastructure. Their condition threatens both spiritual energy circulation and the survival of living beings.
• Hidden opportunities beneath danger: The Earth Vein Baleful Intent is highly corrosive and dangerous, yet Liu Yuanchen turns it into a resource through the Earth Book and the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Character Interactions

• Venerable Sea Severing and Azure Origin Pill King exchange playful but informative remarks about the Gonggong inheritance and its divine abilities.
• Liu Yuanchen openly explains the inheritance’s powers to Venerable Sea Severing, showing trust and cooperation among the group.
• The Ginseng Fruit Tree indirectly supports Liu Yuanchen by absorbing the baleful intent transmitted into Dongyang Grotto-Heaven.
• Liu Yuanchen’s interactions with the Earth Book, the Ancestral Earth Vein, and the Spirit Vein Source are central to the chapter, illustrating how his abilities allow him to repair and exploit the realm’s damaged foundations.

Chapter Summary: Divine Court Struck by Lightning

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reflects on the long-term value of the Earth-Spirit Dragon-Transformation Secret Art, which can gradually improve a Spirit Vein without causing a dangerous short-term increase in spiritual energy.
• He decides to use the technique on the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein. Repairing and strengthening it could earn him substantial Earthly Dao Merit and help him gain Blackcloud Ridge’s recognition, possibly allowing him to become its Heavenly Dao True God.
• To condense an Earth-Spirit Seed, Liu Yuanchen draws energy from the Ancestral Spirit Vein imprint in the Earth Book, combining it with Dragon Qi and Earth Vein Baleful Intent.
• He realizes that the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow contains a curse capable of corrupting Spirit Veins. He devises a plan to use this curse against the Divine Court by incorporating the cursed energy into the Earth-Spirit Seed.
• To protect himself, Liu Yuanchen creates a First-Grade Merit Golden Lotus and uses it to suppress and contain the cursed Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow.
• The Earth-Spirit Seed absorbs the marrow’s cursed energy and is merged into the Spirit Vein Source. The curse transforms into a Curse Demon head and begins infecting the Ancestral Spirit Vein.
• The infection triggers massive Karmic Force, which follows the curse’s connection back to its origin.
• At the Divine Court’s headquarters, Heavenly Punishment suddenly descends on a palace imprisoning Curse Demons. Nine blood-red lightning bolts destroy the palace, killing three Curse Demons and fifty guarding gods.
• The Divine Court’s leaders are confused and argue over the cause. Some deny that the Divine Court could be punished, while others suggest unrelated possibilities, such as a failed Longevity Immortal tribulation.
• Heavenly Punishment eventually strikes the curse inside Liu Yuanchen’s Spirit Vein Source, erasing it without harming the Ancestral Spirit Vein.
• Liu Yuanchen confirms that he has avoided Karmic Force and is instead continuously receiving Merit for repairing and strengthening the Spirit Vein.
• After returning to Coiled Dragon Mountain, he discovers that a new Ancestral Earth Vein Mark has appeared in the Earth Book. It is still weak, but it is already absorbing a portion of the Merit generated by his actions.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes increasingly strategic and opportunistic. Rather than simply cultivating the Earth-Spirit Seed normally, he cleverly exploits the curse in the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow to attack the Divine Court indirectly.
• His confidence in Grand Immortal Zhenyuan’s teachings grows, as he recognizes that seemingly minor techniques can produce enormous long-term benefits.
• Liu Yuanchen demonstrates a stronger understanding of Heavenly Dao rules, using the distinction between beneficial actions and harmful curses to ensure that the Heavenly Dao punishes the actual curse caster rather than himself.
• The Divine Court leadership is shown to be arrogant and uninformed. Its elders cannot explain why Heavenly Punishment struck their headquarters and refuse to believe that the Divine Court itself could be targeted.
• The imprisoned Curse Demons function as tools of the Divine Court, but their destruction reveals that the organization’s control over forbidden powers is not foolproof.

Significant Themes

• Long-term cultivation and patience: Spiritual growth and Spirit Vein development require time, but carefully chosen methods can create benefits lasting for thousands of years.
• Merit and karmic consequences: Repairing the Ancestral Spirit Vein earns Liu Yuanchen Merit, while attempting to corrupt it generates overwhelming Karmic Force for the culprit.
• Manipulating Heavenly Dao rules: Liu Yuanchen succeeds by arranging events so that Heaven judges the curse as the source of harm, allowing him to benefit while the true curse caster suffers punishment.
• Strategic use of enemies’ powers: The Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow’s curse, originally meant to damage Blessed Lands, is redirected against the Divine Court.
• The importance of Spirit Veins: Spirit Veins are portrayed as the foundation of cultivation realms and even the lifeline of an entire world, making their restoration or destruction extraordinarily significant.
• Hidden consequences of seemingly small actions: Liu Yuanchen’s Earth-Spirit Seed initially appears modest, but it can steadily strengthen Spirit Veins, generate Merit, and potentially support the development of an entire world.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen’s main interaction is with the legacies of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, whose secret art guides his actions.
• He indirectly confronts the Curse Demon and its caster, using the curse as bait and turning the Heavenly Dao against its originator.
• The Divine Court elders interact during an emergency council, questioning one another about the punishment while failing to recognize the connection to the cursed Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow.
• Liu Yuanchen also interacts with the Earth Book, the Ancestral Spirit Vein, and the Earth-Spirit Seed as parts of his cultivation strategy. The Earth Book’s new Ancestral Earth Vein Mark confirms that it shares in the Merit generated by his work.

Chapter Summary: Heavenly Punishment Turmoil

Key Plot Points

• Liu Yuanchen examines the Earth Book and discovers it contains enough merit to condense two Merit Lightwheels, though scattered rather than condensed. He realizes the Earth Book can naturally grow into a Merit Dharma Treasure (and eventually a Merit Spirit Treasure) by repairing Earth Veins and Spirit Veins — superior to artificially refined merit treasures, which can deplete.
• Within the Dongyang Grotto-Heaven, the Ancestral Earth Vein's energy accelerates expansion: the space grows from 200 to 300 li in diameter, new Spirit Veins form, and spiritual energy feedback reaches thirty mid-grade Spirit Stones per hundred breaths.
• Half a year later: news spreads that the Divine Court was struck by nine bolts of blood-colored Heavenly Punishment lightning, destroying a palace — unknown to anyone, this was Liu Yuanchen's doing through his methods on the Netherworld's Ancestral Spirit Vein.
• An Image-Recording Pearl leaks from Divine Court Valley (traced to the Soaring Immortal Sect via the Myriad Gods Sect), spreading widely.
• The Divine Court claims a cultivator attempted a Longevity Immortal breakthrough and failed; this cover story is mocked, as such breakthroughs don't produce Heavenly Punishment. The destroyed hall was where Curse Demons were imprisoned.
• Venerable Sea Severing suspects Liu Yuanchen caused it (since the cursed Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow and Ghost Abyss Jade Ginseng went to him); Liu Yuanchen flatly denies it.
• The Demon Race attacks Human Race borders (southern Great Xia passes, Northern Frontier, Jade Dragon Kingdom, northern An Kingdom). Liu Yuanchen argues the Divine Court can weather this, and the Demon Race will avoid the Red Wasteland for fear of trading lives with the Eight Desolations Pavilion's "lifespan-depleted" old experts — though their lifespans were actually extended.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Continues patient cultivation in seclusion (Netherworld); shows strategic cunning and quick thinking — his scheme against the Divine Court succeeds without being traced to him. Maintains his cover as an avatar in the Yang Realm, presenting logical (if partially deceptive) analysis.
• Azure Origin Pill King: Intelligence gatherer and voice of reason; connects the cursed treasures to the incident and steers the discussion away when Liu Yuanchen seems vulnerable.
• Venerable Sea Severing: Perceptive — correctly suspects Liu Yuanchen's involvement despite insufficient evidence.
• Golden Flame Venerable / Zhao Hong: Provide comic relief and confirm the Divine Court's shamelessness.

Significant Themes

• Natural vs. artificial merit: Naturally formed Merit Spirit Treasures are superior — they self-replenish merit and cannot be permanently depleted (red string of fate, Nuwa's examples).
• Karmic retribution / Heavenly Punishment: The Divine Court's immoral methods (Curse Demons, harming Human Race geniuses) eventually draw divine punishment; schemes boomerang.
• Concealment and propaganda: The Divine Court's false narrative vs. leaked truth; factions manipulate information warfare.
• Age as deterrence: The threat of "lifespan-depleted" experts exchanging lives as a strategic psychological weapon in interracial war.

Character Interactions

• Eight Desolations Pavilion elders (Azure Origin Pill King, Venerable Sea Severing, Golden Flame Venerable, Zhao Hong) discuss the Divine Court's calamity and Demon Race offensive in a council meeting.
• Venerable Sea Severing directly questions Liu Yuanchen; Liu Yuanchen deflects smoothly, and the Azure Origin Pill King subtly changes the subject to protect him.

Chapter Summary: “Swallowing the Curse Alive”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen realizes that the Divine Court’s decision to imprison a Curse Demon within Divine Court Valley made the recent Heavenly Punishment incident far more damaging than expected. The punishment publicly undermined the Divine Court’s claim to represent the Heavenly Dao.
• Although tempted to trigger Heavenly Punishment again and destroy the Curse Demon, Liu Yuanchen decides against it. A second incident could destabilize the Divine Court completely, weakening humanity against the Demon Race, Witch Race, and other enemies.
• He shifts his priorities toward increasing his personal strength and secretly building an independent force within Dongyang Grotto-Heaven and Nether Sun Grotto-Heaven.
• The Eight Desolations Pavilion discusses how to respond to the Demon Race’s probing activity in the Red Wasteland. Rather than appearing passive, they plan to imitate the Human Race’s traditional “trading lives” strategy, making the Demon Race believe the Pavilion is prepared for a desperate battle.
• Liu Yuanchen also learns that Patriarch Mountain Mover has nearly completed his study of the formations protecting three hostile factions in Coiling Dragon Lake Market. The Pavilion intends to expose and eliminate them publicly.
• An Changsheng returns dramatically while riding an Ice Flood Dragon. He challenges Liu Yuanchen, claiming he will reclaim what he previously lost, though Liu Yuanchen privately finds his competitiveness absurd.
• Liu Yuanchen brings An Changsheng into the Netherworld and asks him to remove the curse from a Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow. An Changsheng confidently accepts, boasting about his clan’s inherited methods for fighting Curse Demons.
• An Changsheng summons a gray bow and arrow that pierces the jade marrow and forcibly extracts the Curse Demon’s manifestation. The bow absorbs the curse energy, while An’s ancestral Bloodline Dharma Form suppresses the demon.
• In a shocking display, An Changsheng swallows the Curse Demon whole, treating its curse energy as nourishing food.
• He then removes the curse from another Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow but confirms that the Ghost Abyss Jade Ginseng contains no curse.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Becomes more cautious and strategically mature. He recognizes that damaging the Divine Court too severely could harm humanity as a whole, so he abandons reckless retaliation and focuses on long-term power-building. He also continues manipulating situations indirectly, arranging for others to handle dangerous confrontations.
• An Changsheng: Returns with increased confidence and theatrical pride. His competitive nature remains strong, but his inherited anti-curse abilities prove genuinely formidable. His ability to consume curse energy reveals an unexpectedly ruthless and unusual cultivation method.
• Azure Origin Pill King and the Pavilion Elders: Demonstrate practical political and military judgment. They accept Liu Yuanchen’s strategy of appearing willing to fight to the death in order to frighten the Demon Race into retreat.
• The Curse Demon: Initially threatening, it becomes terrified when confronted by An Changsheng’s bloodline power. Its desperate attacks fail, and it is ultimately reduced to nourishment.

Significant Themes

• Political balance and responsibility: Liu Yuanchen must oppose the Divine Court’s immoral actions without allowing its collapse to endanger humanity.
• Strength through deception: Both the Eight Desolations Pavilion and Liu Yuanchen rely on misdirection—appearing aggressive or powerful to discourage enemies while avoiding unnecessary conflict.
• Long-term preparation: The chapter emphasizes cultivating forces and resources for future survival, conquest, and exploration rather than pursuing immediate revenge.
• Inherited power and legacy: An Changsheng’s abilities come from his clan’s ancestral battle against Curse Demons, showing the continuing influence of bloodline and inherited techniques.
• Turning danger into nourishment: The Curse Demon’s energy, originally a deadly threat, becomes a source of strength for An Changsheng.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen cooperates with the Eight Desolations Pavilion elders, especially Azure Origin Pill King, while carefully limiting his own involvement in dangerous operations.
• He uses An Changsheng’s pride and desire to prove himself to persuade him to handle the cursed jade marrow.
• An Changsheng boasts repeatedly, while Liu Yuanchen outwardly flatters him and privately remains skeptical of his reliability.
• During the exorcism, Liu Yuanchen protects himself with the Earth Book and contains the curse with Mist Space, while An Changsheng directly confronts and consumes the Curse Demon.
• Their partnership becomes more useful to Liu Yuanchen: An Changsheng’s arrogance is matched by rare anti-curse power that can solve problems Liu Yuanchen cannot handle alone.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter:

Summary of "Secrets of Dragon Abyss"

Key Plot Points & Events

• Curses Removed: An Changsheng successfully removes all curses from the Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow and Dragon Abyss Jade Ginseng, making them safe to use.
• Drunken Incident: Liu Yuanchen shares Dragon Abyss Jade Nectar with An Changsheng. An Changsheng gets instantly drunk after two sips but recites a poem (actually composed by Liu Yuanchen) and leaves in high spirits.
• Image-Recording Pearl: Liu Yuanchen records An Changsheng's drunken state but, out of respect, seals the recording in a hidden vault among hundreds of other pearls instead of destroying it.
• Fusion with Earth Book: Liu Yuanchen fuses the cleansed Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow into his Middle Dantian's Earth Book. A Flood Dragon emerges, devours the energy, and transforms into a Branch Spirit Vein of the Ancestral Spirit Vein—unexpectedly attaching itself to the Ancestral Spirit Vein rather than remaining separate.
• Investigation: Liu Yuanchen questions Xia Longting and Xia Lingkai about Dragon Abyss. Xia Lingkai shares surface-level records: Dragon Abyss predates the Great Xia, is entered via tokens, contains dense Dragon Qi, and may be a Dragon Race graveyard.
• Liu Yuanchen's Theory: He theorizes Dragon Abyss is a man-made Grotto-Heaven, possibly connected to the Ancestral Spirit Vein on Blackcloud Ridge, explaining the Jade Marrow's affinity.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Shows gratitude, cunning (recording the drunken scene), and deep investigative thinking. He refrains from exploiting An Changsheng's weakness out of respect.
• An Changsheng: Proves his skill and integrity, but reveals a comical weakness—extremely low alcohol tolerance and a flair for dramatic poetry.
• Xia Lingkai: Demonstrates his value as a knowledgeable and cautious scholar, carefully sharing only non-sensitive information.
• Xia Longting: Remains the humorous, unscrupulous entrepreneur, now running a brothel in the Netherworld to survive after his allowance was cut.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge & Speculation: The chapter highlights how limited information leads to reasoned but unverified theories.
• Fidelity & Discretion: Liu Yuanchen chooses to protect An Changsheng's dignity despite having leverage.
• Mystery of Dragon Abyss: The origin and nature of Dragon Abyss remain shrouded in secrecy, with hints of divine or draconic involvement.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen ↔ An Changsheng: Mutual respect and gratitude; a lighthearted drunken episode strengthens their bond.
• Liu Yuanchen ↔ Xia Longting & Xia Lingkai: A casual, friendly inquiry reveals useful intel; Xia Lingkai proves more reliable than Xia Longting.
• Xia Longting ↔ Xia Lingkai: Their dynamic is clear—Xia Longting is the idle noble, Xia Lingkai the studious advisor.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen discusses Dragon Abyss with Xia Lingkai. He learns that its Demon Race is organized into independent tribes rather than armies, but that many powerful experts—including Longevity Immortals—make the region difficult for the Great Xia Divine Dynasty to conquer.
• The Great Xia and Divine Court use a cautious, gradual-expansion strategy in Dragon Abyss because of the Demon Race’s strength, dangerous terrain, and the need to conserve resources for conflicts in the Origin Spirit Realm.
• The only known special resources in Dragon Abyss are Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow and Dragon Abyss Jade Nectar. Liu concludes that Dragon Abyss is an artificially created, highly developed Grotto-Heaven, likely established by a True Dragon or someone closely connected to the Dragon Race.
• Xia Longting proposes a business partnership involving Liu’s Netherworld Passage and yin souls, along with Xia’s connections to the Drunken Flower House and Myriad Treasures Trading Association. Liu rejects the proposal as beneath his dignity.
• Liu’s fourth Divine Ability Clone patrols Blackcloud Ridge, where the spiritual energy has begun improving after Liu repaired its earth veins and Spirit Vein Source. The progress is slow because the Netherworld Ancestral Spirit Vein is vast and nearing the difficult transition from fifth to sixth rank.
• Liu discovers that repairing Blackcloud Ridge has significantly increased the region’s recognition of him and expanded his stolen Heavenly Dao Authority. His Enlightening Myriad Spirits Authority now covers a much larger area, especially in the Yang Realm.
• He realizes that, with further cultivation and the support of powerful Longevity Immortals from the Eight Desolations Pavilion, he may eventually become Blackcloud Ridge’s Heavenly Dao True God. This would protect him from interference and allow him to continue repairing the region’s spiritual and earth veins freely.
• Frustrated by the slow pace of Soul Condensation cultivation, Liu experiments with the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp. He discovers that its jade-green light periodically enters his body and strengthens his Life Soul.
• After using the lamp continuously, Liu restores and surpasses the Life Soul’s former strength. He then successfully directs the lamp’s power into his Corpse Hound Soul, proving that it can nourish the Seven Po Souls as well.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes more confident in his understanding of Dragon Abyss and confirms his theory about its origins. He also gains a clearer long-term goal: securing Blackcloud Ridge and becoming its Heavenly Dao True God.
• His strategic thinking develops as he recognizes the importance of authority, Merit, spiritual-vein restoration, and gradual cultivation rather than relying solely on combat strength.
• Liu’s opinion of the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp changes dramatically. He initially undervalued it because of its weak offensive ability, but now realizes that its ability to accelerate soul cultivation may be far more valuable.
• Xia Lingkai serves as an informative source about Dragon Abyss, explaining both the Demon Race’s tribal structure and the limits of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty.
• Xia Longting attempts to recruit Liu into a profitable but morally and socially disreputable venture, revealing his pragmatic and opportunistic nature. Liu’s refusal emphasizes his pride and high status.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus organization: The Great Xia possesses superior military organization, but the Demon Race’s powerful individual experts and knowledge of Dragon Abyss’s dangerous regions prevent easy conquest.
• Gradual accumulation: Expansion, spiritual-vein development, authority, Merit, and cultivation all require patience and steady progress.
• Recognition by heaven and earth: Liu’s repair of Blackcloud Ridge earns Merit and causes the land’s spirituality to recognize him more strongly, allowing him to obtain greater authority.
• Cultivation as the foundation of power: Liu understands that true security and freedom depend on reaching higher realms rather than merely possessing treasures or techniques.
• Hidden value of seemingly weak treasures: The Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp lacks significant offensive power but proves extraordinarily useful for accelerating soul growth.
• Identity and dignity: Liu rejects Xia Longting’s proposed trade because it conflicts with his elevated identity and status.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and Xia Lingkai: Their conversation is respectful and informative. Liu asks probing questions about Dragon Abyss, while Xia explains its political, military, and geographical difficulties.
• Liu Yuanchen and Xia Longting: Xia shifts the discussion toward commercial cooperation, but Liu silently dismisses the proposal, creating a contrast between Xia’s worldly pragmatism and Liu’s prideful, ambitious self-image.
• Liu and his clones: Through his Divine Ability Clones No. 3 and No. 4, Liu compares the Yang Realm and Netherworld manifestations of Blackcloud Ridge, allowing him to track the expansion of his Heavenly Dao Authority.
• Liu and the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp: Their relationship changes from experimentation and uncertainty to discovery and reliance, as Liu learns to use the lamp to strengthen both his Life Soul and Corpse Hound Soul.

Chapter Summary: “A Great Leap in Comprehension”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen prepares to condense his second Po Soul using the Seven Emotions Heart-Refining Formation. Of the available emotions—anger, sorrow, and fear—he prioritizes anger because it can produce the Fushi Soul, which governs consciousness and comprehension.
• He enters the formation with a Raging-Flame Flower, which induces intense anger and draws out Fushi Soul energy.
• The formation creates an illusion in which Liu Yuanchen becomes an ordinary soldier stationed at Barbarian-Quelling City. When demon soldiers massacre civilians, he and several comrades disobey their cowardly general’s orders and defend the civilians. Although they succeed, the general executes them and offers their heads to the demons as an apology.
• While Liu Yuanchen’s consciousness experiences this illusion, his Life Soul absorbs the Fushi Soul energy accumulating in his body.
• Outside the formation, the Eight Desolations Pavilion moves against three hidden factions operating in Coiling Dragon Lake Market. After studying their defensive formations, Mountain-Moving Venerable helps prepare a trap.
• Liu Yuanchen and Zhao Hong raid the Floating Cloud Inn, one faction’s base. Zhao Hong destroys its defenses, forcing the seventh-realm expert Jiang Lin to emerge.
• Jiang Lin’s attack nearly destroys Liu Yuanchen’s divine clone, but the Earth Book’s improved defenses allow the clone to survive. Venerable Sea Severing then kills Jiang Lin and two other seventh-realm experts with overwhelming ease.
• The Eight Desolations Pavilion publicly displays the corpses, sweeps the surrounding regions, kills demon scouts and Eerie Creatures, and launches attacks on nearby demon strongholds. The demonstration forces hostile factions into hiding.
• After two and a half years, Liu Yuanchen successfully condenses the Flying Corpse Soul. It takes only half the time required to condense his previous Corpse Hound Soul, showing that his Life Soul has grown considerably stronger.
• Using the Flying Corpse Soul’s enhanced comprehension, Liu Yuanchen studies the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp and quickly comprehends the Illusory Law, creating convincing but artificial forests, grasslands, and lakes.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Becomes increasingly focused on strengthening comprehension rather than pursuing the Queyin Soul, which he considers unnecessary for now. His stronger Life Soul greatly accelerates Po Soul condensation. After obtaining the Flying Corpse Soul, his comprehension improves dramatically, allowing him to grasp the Illusory Law in only an hour.
• Zhao Hong: Demonstrates his direct, aggressive nature by forcibly breaking into the Floating Cloud Inn and attacking its hidden defenses.
• Venerable Sea Severing: Reveals overwhelming power and decisive leadership by killing three seventh-realm enemies almost effortlessly, establishing the Eight Desolations Pavilion’s dominance.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable: Shows his strategic and technical value by analyzing the enemy formations and enabling the successful ambush.
• The cowardly border general: Represents incompetence and betrayal, executing loyal soldiers rather than confronting the demon threat.
• Jiang Lin and the hidden factions: Are exposed as collaborators with the Demon Race, likely connected to the Myriad Gods Sect or Demon God Sect.

Significant Themes

• Comprehension as a form of power: The Fushi Soul’s effect on concentration and understanding is presented as nearly as valuable as an Immortal Seed, especially for studying laws.
• Growth through accumulation: Liu Yuanchen’s increasingly powerful Life Soul makes each subsequent Po Soul easier and faster to condense.
• Justice versus corrupt authority: The border soldiers act heroically to protect civilians, while their own general punishes them for defying orders and appeases the enemy.
• Strength as deterrence: The Eight Desolations Pavilion restores order not through negotiation but through a spectacular display of force.
• Inner refinement through emotional trials: The heart-refining illusion uses anger and moral outrage to draw out the energy needed to form the Flying Corpse Soul.
• Practical cultivation priorities: Liu Yuanchen evaluates each soul by its usefulness, choosing comprehension-enhancing abilities over reproductive or disease-resisting functions.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen’s comrades support him in attacking the demon soldiers after the general refuses to act, but they are all punished and executed.
• Liu Yuanchen and Zhao Hong confront the hidden faction at the Floating Cloud Inn, with Zhao Hong taking the lead in breaking through the defenses.
• Jiang Lin attempts to kill or capture Liu Yuanchen’s clone, but the Earth Book’s defenses withstand the attack long enough for Venerable Sea Severing to intervene.
• Venerable Sea Severing openly threatens the remaining hidden factions, while the Eight Desolations Pavilion collectively hunts hostile forces across the Red Wasteland.
• After condensing the Flying Corpse Soul, Liu Yuanchen immediately tests its effect through law comprehension, confirming a major leap in his cultivation potential.

Chapter Summary: Merit Dharma Treasure

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reflects on his rapidly improving strength. Nourishing his Life Soul with the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp has made it significantly stronger, while condensing the Flying Corpse Soul has greatly enhanced his ability to comprehend Laws.
• He has gained superficial comprehension of the Space, Ren Water, Life, and Illusory Laws. Although his Law power is still weaker than that of Dao Embryo Realm experts, his comprehension speed and breadth now rival or surpass most Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators and even compare favorably with sixth-realm experts.
• His Earth Book’s defensive power is revealed to be extraordinary. Though technically only a fifth-tier Dharma treasure, it can defend against attacks comparable to those of a low-grade seventh-tier treasure.
• Liu Yuanchen begins using the Jadeglow Twofold Ceremonial Lamp to stabilize his Flying Corpse Soul and restore his Life Soul. With sufficient auxiliary spirit objects, he could condense all Seven Po Souls within twenty years instead of more than a century. He plans to obtain the remaining three spirit objects through the Azure Smoke Hall.
• Coiled Dragon Mountain has become a terrifying warning to outsiders, with dozens of corpses belonging to seventh-realm experts hanging from the Yellow-Scaled Pines. The Eight Desolations Pavilion elders have thoroughly intimidated the Demon Race and other enemies.
• Venerable Sea Severing and Azure Origin Pill King return from Blackcloud Ridge after killing an Alligator Dragon and numerous other enemies. Their conversation reveals that the Demon Race has retreated into a heavily defended island and that most hostile experts around Blackcloud Ridge have been eliminated.
• Liu Yuanchen decides to personally investigate Blackcloud Ridge. Although he claims to be studying its abnormal Black Mist, his true goal is to repair the Yang Realm’s Ancestral Earth Vein and Ancestral Spirit Vein, gain merit, and establish a Yang Realm Earth Vein Mark to complement the one already on the Earth Book.
• With his main body exchanged for Divine Ability Clone One through the Substitute-Death Clone technique, Liu Yuanchen travels underground using the Mountain-Piercing Earth-Escape Authority.
• He discovers that the Yang Realm’s Ancestral Spirit Vein and Earth Vein are badly damaged. Broken Earth Veins have released Earth Vein Baleful Intent, which has formed Blackcloud Ridge’s Black Mist.
• Using the Earth Book’s Gathering Qi into Stone Authority, he repairs the damaged rocks, Earth Veins, and Spirit Veins, preventing the baleful energy from escaping.
• Over two years, he restores many sections of the Ancestral Veins and gains substantial merit. His Merit Lightwheels increase from three to five.
• He locates the Yang Realm’s shattered Spirit Vein Source, reconstructs it, and uses the Earth-Spirit Dragon-Transformation Secret Art to merge an Earth-Spirit Solid Seed into it. The corresponding Void Seed is placed into the Earth Book’s Ancestral Spirit Vein Mark.
• Restoring the Yang Realm’s Spirit Vein Source yields an astonishing amount of merit, increasing Liu Yuanchen’s Merit Lightwheels from five to seven.
• The merit accumulated within the Earth Book condenses into a Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus, which transforms into a Lotus Seal. This marks the Earth Book’s transformation into a genuine Merit Dharma Treasure.

Character Development

• Liu Yuanchen becomes increasingly powerful and sophisticated. His Law comprehension, soul cultivation, defensive capabilities, and command of Earth-related authorities all advance significantly.
• He demonstrates greater strategic ambition. Rather than simply cultivating, he plans to exploit the connection between the Yang and Netherworld Ancestral Veins to strengthen the Earth Book and accelerate his growth.
• His actions show a growing sense of responsibility toward restoring damaged spiritual and earth veins, though he is also clearly motivated by the enormous merit such repairs provide.
• He becomes more confident in confronting dangerous regions personally, yet remains cautious enough to carry a protective treasure and maintain escape and rescue contingencies.
• The Earth Book undergoes a major evolution, advancing from a powerful Dharma treasure into a Merit Dharma Treasure through Liu Yuanchen’s accumulated accomplishments.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation and transformation: Superficial Law insights, soul cultivation, merit, and damaged spiritual veins all gradually accumulate until they produce major qualitative changes.
• Restoration versus destruction: The chapter contrasts the devastation caused by past conflicts with Liu Yuanchen’s ability to repair the world’s spiritual foundations.
• Merit as power: Merit is not merely moral recognition; it directly strengthens treasures, cultivation, and divine capabilities.
• Strategic cultivation: Liu Yuanchen’s progress depends not only on fighting but also on planning, resource acquisition, environmental restoration, and exploiting the correspondence between the Yin and Yang Realms.
• Hidden potential: Seemingly damaged or incomplete things—such as the broken Spirit Vein Source or the Earth Book—can be restored and transformed into something far more powerful.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen and Venerable Sea Severing: Liu Yuanchen respectfully welcomes his grand martial ancestor, while Sea Severing boasts about killing an Alligator Dragon and complains about the Demon Race’s refusal to fight directly.
• Venerable Sea Severing and Azure Origin Pill King: The two elders engage in a playful rivalry, arguing over who has achieved more in recent battles. Their banter reveals both their confidence and their familiarity with one another.
• Liu Yuanchen and Azure Origin Pill King: Liu Yuanchen asks about the dangers remaining at Blackcloud Ridge. Azure Origin Pill King reassures him that most threats have been eliminated and gives him a protective jade pendant capable of holding off even an eighth-realm expert long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
• Liu Yuanchen and the broader Eight Desolations Pavilion: The elders’ support gives him permission and protection to investigate Blackcloud Ridge, while his own achievements and status allow him to act with increasing independence.

Chapter Summary: “Discovery of a Grand Grotto-Heaven”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen’s Earth Book transforms into a Merit Dharma Treasure after accumulating sufficient merit. It gains stronger defensive abilities against curses, karmic backlash, Heavenly Tribulation, and other hostile techniques.
• The Earth Book contains five fully activated merit petals and may eventually become a Merit Spirit Treasure. Its potential is especially significant because it has absorbed Blackgold Stone and the True Imprint of the Origin Spirit Realm’s Ancestral Spirit Vein.
• Liu Yuanchen reflects on his gains from Blackcloud Ridge. His Merit Lightwheels have increased from three to seven, and his Enlightening Myriad Spirits Authority now covers more than five thousand li.
• While traveling east along Blackcloud Ridge, he uses the Earth Book to monitor the Ancestral Spirit Vein and discovers that the spiritual qi near Golden Ao Lake has decreased by over five percent.
• He concludes that the missing spiritual qi may indicate a hidden Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, possibly an enormous one capable of absorbing more energy than even his Dongyang Grotto-Heaven.
• To investigate safely, Liu Yuanchen sends Divine Ability Clone No. 3 underground. The clone finds a dried-up Spirit Spring and uses the Misty Space Minor Divine Ability to disturb the surrounding space.
• A powerful cold attack suddenly emerges from the Spirit Spring, destroying the clone almost instantly. Liu Yuanchen narrowly escapes by switching back to another clone.
• Realizing that the Spirit Spring is protected by a powerful formation, Liu Yuanchen concludes that a major Grotto-Heaven truly exists there. He considers either waiting until he is stronger or asking the experts of Coiled Dragon Mountain for help.
• He reports the discovery to his Great Grandmaster and the other experts gathered around the Sea-Calming Pearl.
• The group becomes excited at the possibility of finding an ancient Earth Immortal Path inheritance, enormous resources, and rare treasures. However, they also fear that the Grotto-Heaven may belong to an ancient Longevity Immortal.
• The Azure Origin Pill King proposes first investigating the protective formation to estimate the owner’s strength before deciding whether to attack or withdraw.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes more confident because of the Earth Book’s transformation and his growing merit. He believes he now has a stronger claim over Blackcloud Ridge and greater protection against curses and other schemes.
• Despite his confidence, Liu Yuanchen remains cautious. He refuses to enter the unknown Grotto-Heaven personally and uses a clone as a probe, demonstrating strategic prudence.
• His near-death experience reinforces his awareness of the gap between his current strength and that of ancient experts. He recognizes that he cannot overcome the protective formation alone.
• The Azure Origin Pill King acts as a practical and decisive leader, encouraging investigation while avoiding reckless confrontation.
• Venerable Sea Severing is eager to test his recently comprehended Space Law and sees the discovery as a chance to obtain an ancient inheritance.
• Golden Flame Venerable and the others display greater caution, worrying that the Grotto-Heaven’s master may be an exceptionally powerful Longevity Immortal.

Significant Themes

• Merit and protection: Merit strengthens treasures, shields cultivators from curses and karmic consequences, and grants advantages in combat and law manipulation.
• Growth and potential: The Earth Book’s development mirrors Liu Yuanchen’s increasing influence and hints at his future ability to control the Origin Spirit Realm’s land and earth veins.
• Caution versus opportunity: The hidden Grotto-Heaven may contain unimaginable wealth, but investigating it could provoke an ancient and overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
• Inheritance and ancient power: The possibility of an Elder Earth Immortal Path inheritance makes the discovery especially valuable, suggesting resources and knowledge accumulated over tens of thousands—or even a hundred thousand—years.
• Strategic exploration: Liu Yuanchen’s use of clones and indirect investigation highlights the importance of gathering information before committing to a dangerous conflict.

Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen privately evaluates his growing strength and then shares the discovery with his Great Grandmaster and the gathered experts.
• The group initially reacts with disbelief because no known Earth Immortal Path faction had existed on Blackcloud Ridge, but they quickly speculate that the site may be an ancient surviving inheritance.
• Venerable Sea Severing urges the group to investigate, emphasizing the potential rewards.
• Golden Flame Venerable raises the danger of confronting a powerful ancient cultivator, causing the others to reconsider.
• The Azure Origin Pill King resolves the disagreement by proposing a cautious reconnaissance mission: inspect the formation first, then either withdraw or launch an attack based on the evidence.

Chapter Summary: “Entering Dragon Abyss”

Key plot points and events

• The Eight Desolations Pavilion elders agree to investigate the hidden Grotto-Heaven cautiously. They hope it may contain ancient spirit herbs valuable enough to help them pursue Longevity Immortality, but they avoid risking their lives in a direct confrontation.
• Liu Yuanchen leads the group underground with his avatar while his true body remains safely hidden in the Netherworld. They find that the dried-up Spirit Spring has disappeared behind an illusion formation.
• Venerable Ten Thousand Mountains uses his artifact, Ten Thousand Mountains, to suppress space and reveal the concealed spring. A powerful defensive strike then emerges from the entrance, convincing the elders that the Grotto-Heaven’s master is—or was—a Longevity Immortal.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable examines the formation and identifies it as resembling the Dragon Race’s inheritance. He finds a flaw, and Venerable Ten Thousand Mountains breaks the formation.
• A Void Dragon Earthworm burrows through the hidden space barrier into an enormous Grotto-Heaven. At the elders’ urging, Liu Yuanchen’s avatar enters first to scout.
• Inside, he finds abundant spiritual energy and Dragon Qi. The trees and even small plants resemble dragons, confirming his suspicion that the Grotto-Heaven is Dragon Abyss. He returns and excitedly reports the discovery.

Character developments

• Liu Yuanchen shows caution by keeping his true body out of danger, but his curiosity and ambition remain strong. He connects the Dragon Race formation and Dragon Qi to clues he previously gathered, and his Earthly Dao Merit may have led him to this opportunity.
• The elders balance their desire for rare resources against their fear of losing the chance to become Longevity Immortals. Once they judge the immediate risks manageable, they cooperate and use their specialized skills.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable demonstrates his expertise in formations, while Venerable Ten Thousand Mountains reveals progress in controlling spatial forces through his artifact.

Character interactions

• The elders discuss the risks and agree to bring specialists: Mountain-Moving Venerable to analyze the formation and Venerable Ten Thousand Mountains for protection.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable explains the illusion and formation flaws to Liu Yuanchen and the others; Ten Thousand Mountains helps expose and break them.
• Liu Yuanchen tries to record the elders crawling through the narrow entrance, but they catch on and tease him. They then order his expendable avatar to scout first, and he complies.

Significant themes

• Longevity versus risk: The elders value the possibility of eternal life above a single treasure, shaping their cautious approach.
• Knowledge and teamwork: Formation expertise, spatial abilities, and Liu Yuanchen’s observations combine to overcome the entrance’s defenses.
• Opportunity and fate: Liu Yuanchen interprets the discovery as a reward for his Earthly Dao Merit, suggesting that merit can attract encounters with hidden opportunities.

Chapter Summary: Dragon Abyss Development Plan and Distribution of Benefits

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yuanchen reveals that the discovered Grotto-Heaven is actually Dragon Abyss, a legendary resource-rich location previously controlled by the Great Xia Divine Dynasty.
• He presents evidence: Dragon Abyss Jade Marrow resonance with the Ancestral Spirit Vein, a dragon-shaped grass sample, and prior information from Xia Lingkai about Dragon Abyss lacking a fixed entrance (relying on a token).
• The elders confirm the location's authenticity through the dense Dragon Qi in the herbs.
• Liu Yuanchen warns that Demon Race Longevity Immortals likely guard Dragon Abyss, cautioning against reckless entry.
• The group agrees to a cautious approach: first inspect, then reclaim wasteland on the outskirts (imitating the Great Xia's strategy), and expand slowly over thousands of years.
• They enter Dragon Abyss and find it vast (over 100,000 li), with exceptional spiritual energy and abundant Spirit Veins.
• Group decides Liu Yuanchen will manage Dragon Abyss (due to his clone techniques and Botanical Dao Soldiers).
• Liu Yuanchen proposes a detailed profit distribution plan, which is accepted.
• They locate a suitable valley with abundant Spirit Veins (including an Eighth-Rank Low-Grade vein), suitable for a stronghold and retreat route.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen: Demonstrates shrewd strategic thinking and diplomatic skill. Recognizes the value of sharing benefits to secure loyalty and binding interests, choosing not to monopolize Dragon Abyss's resources.
• The Grand Martial Ancestors: Show both excitement/greed for resources and caution about risks. They prioritize long-term stability and sect survival over immediate gains.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable: Shows integrity by initially refusing his large share, but accepts when Liu Yuanchen explains it benefits everyone.
• Azure Origin Pill King: Acts as a moderating voice, proposing the cautious "reclaim wasteland" strategy and emphasizing the long-term vision of cultivating multiple Longevity Immortals.

3. Significant Themes

• Distribution of benefits as a unifying force: Liu Yuanchen intentionally shares the wealth to bind the sect's experts to Dragon Abyss, making them invested in its success.
• Long-term strategic planning: The sect prioritizes patience and sustainable development over immediate conquest, aiming to cultivate Longevity Immortals over centuries.
• Prudent risk management: Despite the treasure trove, they avoid direct confrontation with Demon Race Longevity Immortals, preferring gradual expansion.
• Rebirth and resilience: Dragon Abyss is seen as a potential retreat route and insurance for the sect's survival even if external foundations are lost.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Yuanchen presents evidence and explains his reasoning to the assembled Grand Martial Ancestors; they are convinced and excited.
• The elders debate strategies: Azure Origin Pill King proposes cautious settlement; Golden Flame Venerable advocates for sect stability and avoiding unnecessary risks.
• Liu Yuanchen volunteers to manage Dragon Abyss; Venerable Sea Severing and Golden Flame Venerable openly support him.
• Liu Yuanchen negotiates the profit-sharing plan, addressing Mountain-Moving Venerable's reluctance to accept his share, ensuring all parties feel fairly compensated.
• The group collaborates on inspecting the terrain and planning the settlement, with Mountain-Moving Venerable analyzing the Spirit Veins and proposing defensive formations.

Chapter Summary: The Identity of the Dragon Abyss Master

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Eight Desolations Pavilion recognizes the Human Race’s dangerous position. The Demon Race remains far stronger, while the Witch Race’s future support is uncertain. If the Demon Race withdrew from the Netherworld and attacked the Yang Realm, the Human Race might be unable to resist.
• The Dragon Abyss is therefore chosen as a potential emergency refuge and fallback base for the Eight Desolations Pavilion.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable agrees to construct a powerful defensive formation, initially capable of resisting a Longevity Immortal. The organization will first secure the valley, then gradually explore and develop the rest of the Dragon Abyss.
• Liu Yuanchen names the new base Eight Desolations Valley, emphasizing its importance alongside the Eight Desolations Mountain Range.
• After the others leave, Liu Yuanchen uses his abilities to inspect the valley. He discovers hundreds of Spirit Veins and Dragon Veins, confirming that the Dragon Abyss contains extraordinary natural resources.
• Liu Yuanchen consults Liu Yan, the Wood Spirit connected to the Grand Evolution Divine Tree, about the Dragon Abyss’s history and master.
• Liu Yan reveals that the Dragon Race knew of the Dragon Abyss long before the Human Race discovered it, disproving the theory that it was simply the Dragon Race’s burial ground.
• The entrance token used by the Great Xia Divine Dynasty is identified as an azure dragon scale, strongly suggesting that the Dragon Abyss Master is an Azure Dragon.
• Liu Yuanchen sends ten of Liu Yan’s clones into the Dragon Abyss to cultivate Scout Spirit Plants and search for the Main Spirit Vein. He also plants a branch of the Grand Evolution Divine Tree there and leaves clones to develop Botanical Dao Soldiers.
• Back at Coiled Dragon Mountain, Liu Yuanchen consults Venerable Sea Severing, who identifies a likely candidate for the Dragon Abyss Master: Ao Mang, a powerful Azure Dragon who disappeared roughly one hundred thousand years ago.
• Ao Mang was once stronger than the Dragon Emperor and was expected to become the Dragon Race’s next ruler. His grandson, Ao Qing, is the Azure Dragon expert who previously attacked Coiled Dragon Mountain.
• Although Ao Mang’s fate cannot be proven directly, Azure Origin Pill King argues that the Dragon Abyss Master must be dead. The Divine Court and Great Xia Divine Dynasty have occupied and developed the Dragon Abyss for over twenty thousand years, something they would not risk if its master were still alive.

Character Developments

• Liu Yuanchen becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. Although he initially considers integrating the Earth Book into the Dragon Abyss to claim control of it, he postpones the plan after learning that the Dragon Abyss Master might still be alive.
• He also demonstrates greater leadership by organizing exploration, deploying clones, cultivating spirit plants, and preparing the Dragon Abyss as a long-term strategic base.
• Liu Yan proves valuable as a source of ancient intelligence because of his connection to the Grand Evolution Divine Tree. He eagerly accepts the task of developing the Dragon Abyss and even requests that a branch of his main body be planted there.
• Mountain-Moving Venerable shifts from a limited investment to a full-scale defensive construction plan once the Dragon Abyss’s importance is recognized.
• Venerable Sea Severing provides crucial Dragon Race knowledge and identifies Ao Mang as the most likely Dragon Abyss Master.
• Ao Qing gains additional significance through his relationship with Ao Mang; his strength and inherited legacy are explained as consequences of his grandfather’s power.

Significant Themes

• Survival and strategic preparation: The Human Race’s military weakness drives the Eight Desolations Pavilion to establish a hidden refuge capable of preserving its legacy during a catastrophe.
• Inheritance and legacy: Ao Qing’s power comes from Ao Mang, while Liu Yan’s abilities and memories derive from the Grand Evolution Divine Tree. The chapter repeatedly shows the past influencing the present.
• Mystery and deduction: Liu Yuanchen pieces together clues—Dragon Race knowledge, the azure dragon scale, Ao Mang’s disappearance, and the Divine Court’s actions—to identify the Dragon Abyss Master.
• Caution versus ambition: The Dragon Abyss offers enormous benefits, but claiming it prematurely could provoke a surviving master. Liu Yuanchen must balance expansion with self-preservation.
• Control over territory: The Earth Book, Spirit Veins, Dragon Veins, formations, and Scout Spirit Plants all represent different methods of understanding and controlling a powerful environment.

Character Interactions

• The elders of the Eight Desolations Pavilion collectively agree to develop Eight Desolations Valley and entrust Liu Yuanchen with managing its internal development.
• Azure Origin Pill King invites Liu Yuanchen to name the valley, reinforcing Liu Yuanchen’s authority and central role.
• Liu Yuanchen questions Liu Yan about the Dragon Abyss, relying on his inherited memories and intelligence network.
• Liu Yuanchen commands Liu Yan’s clones to explore the Dragon Abyss, and Liu Yan eagerly cooperates.
• Liu Yuanchen later consults Venerable Sea Severing about the Dragon Race, leading to the identification of Ao Mang.
• Azure Origin Pill King challenges Liu Yuanchen’s uncertainty and reasons that the Dragon Abyss Master is probably dead because major Human Race powers have safely occupied the region for thousands of years.